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Journalism of Courage
FORTY-four-year-old Adolf D8217;Souza8217;s heart is not in his exports business. What he really wants to do is mass-produce environment friendly newspaper bags. 8220;I stopped short at the cost 8212; 8220;it will be around Rs 25 lakh, which I don8217;t have8221;, he says wistfully. What he has is social security 8212; the consensus of the whole of Juhu that pitched him to the post of corporator.
And for now, newspaper bags can wait. Juhu desperately wants its 8220;Hum log ka Corporator, Adolf D8217;Souza8221;, screaming on festoons strung all over the tony Mumbai suburb. The first 8220;citizens8217; consensus candidate8221; won with 4,582 votes, beating 20 others to Ward 63 Bhaktivedanta-Cooper Hospital.
An Area Sabha Representative until October 2006, Adolf didn8217;t have an inkling he would make it to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. 8220;Initially, I felt it would be hypocrisy if I joined politics but then I realised the citizens8217; movement needed to go forward,8221; says D8217;Souza. The momentum had to be sustained 8212; 8220;only citizens can be for citizens8221; 8212; and the rest is now history.
Inundated will calls since his big win, he is constantly amazed at people referring to him as 8220;mai baap8221; or touching his feet. 8220;I tell them why do you treat me as if I am some big lord? Of course, I will take advantage if you put me on that pedestal. Just shake hands with me,8221; says the man who is gunning for systemic changes, backed by his team of 37 mini-corporators.
In the 2002 civic elections, along with JCWG members Hansel D8217;Souza and Anand Desai, D8217;Souza implemented a candidate rating scale designed by Tata Institute for Social Sciences TISS 8212; which took the form of the controversial star rating system by AGNI this year. The beauty of the consensus method, he says, is that 8220;the candidate is not the hero, the concept is8221;, and he is confident of his ward committee which will be making all decisions 8212; it won8217;t be a one-man show. 8220;We don8217;t have a magic wand,8221; he cautions.
For one who 8220;lost interest in studies after class ten8221;, alternative therapy and yoga were more his cuppa. Philosophy and spirituality are keen interests 8212;his frequent hangouts are British Council Library, American Library and the Theosophical Society. 8220;And you get so much at Ramakrishna Mission, there are books for free,8221; he says.
8220;The greatest thing about him is that he is truthful. And truthfulness makes everything complete,8221; says John. He recollects the time when the PIL for the development of Juhu beach had been filed in 2003 8212; 8220;he was always busy talking to the lawyers or running to the courts then. His is truly public spirited activism. He told me to start a newsletter to showcase our work. Now my newsletter had better circulation than his!8221;
8220;Truth is God. If everyone is like Adolf, then there will be lots of truth in the world,8221; beams father Victor 76. 8220;Bilkul Maharashtrian hai.8221;
